Attacks on the validity of the
Book of Mormon using DNA data

Introduction

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Introduction:

The LA Times reported that:

"The sacred writings of many faiths make claims that might not stand
up to scientific tests. But most faiths avoid conflict with scholarship
either because their claims relate to events too far in the past to be
tested or because they have reinterpreted their scriptural claims as
metaphors, rather than assertions of literal fact."

"For devout Mormons, however, neither of those defenses is available. The Book of
Mormon, made public by Joseph Smith in 1830, is a cornerstone of church doctrine
and is taken literally by the faithful. It teaches, among other things, that
many American Indians are descendants of ancient Israelites who came to this
continent 600 years before Christ -- a time period within the reach of modern
archaeology and genetics." 1

Not every statement in a holy book can be verified or disproved scientifically.
For example, there is no archaeological evidence that would prove the existence
of Adam, Eve, Abraham, Moses, and other personalities described in the Bible prior to the time of King Solomon.
Similarly, most of the events cannot be corroborated with hard evidence outside
the Bible. However,
one teaching of the Book of Mormon is different. It specifically teaches that three groups of ancient Hebrews came
from Israel to the Americas -- the first in 2247 BCE. Their descendants separated
into two nations, the Nephites and the Lamanites. Subsequently, all but the
Lamanites died off. The Book of Mormon states that the Lamanites are the principal ancestors of modern-day Native
Americans. DNA, facial structure, and blood type studies appear to conflict with this belief. They demonstrate that
the today's Natives descended from ancient people in Siberia. If the Natives were
descendents of Lamanites, then one would expect to find Middle Eastern genetic markers in the
DNA, facial structures and blood factors of American Natives. None of these
exist.

Christianity Today reports in a year 2004 book review that:

The Book of Mormon's "...account of pre-Christian journeys from
the Middle East to the Americas and subsequent identification of North
American indigenous populations with Israelite tribes was not uncommon
among Joseph Smith's contemporaries." Joseph Smith is the founder of
the Mormon faith and is believed to have translated the text on golden
plates to which he was directed by an angel.

"...none of the nearly 7,500 DNA-tested Native Americans shows
any link to ancient Israel. More than 99 percent show an Asian heritage."
2

"...some scholars at the Foundation for Ancient Research and
Mormon Studies (FARMS)...concede the links between Native Americans and
Asians are strong, and that a Middle Eastern contribution to the gene
pool hasn't been established" at this time.

John W. Welch, founder of FARMS, a group promoting the legitimacy of the
Book of Mormon, said: "The DNA factor is just one
more indication that people came from various places in the world. This
is just one more piece in a very big and complicated and obscure
archaeological and anthropological picture."

Daniel C. Peterson, editor of The FARMS Review, said: "The
Book of Mormon never claimed to be an exclusive account of people of the
Americas."

Simon G. Southerton, author of the book: "Losing a Lost Tribe:
Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon
Church" 3
believes that several passages from the Book of Mormon and
statements by Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS, show that the
Israelite immigrants to the new world found an uninhabited world when
they arrived. He said: "In the entire 1,000-year period
covered by the Book of Mormon, there is not one explicit reference to
people outside the migratory groups that came from the Middle East."2

The LDS web site states: "Recent attacks on the veracity of the Book of Mormon based on DNA
are ill considered. Nothing in the Book of Mormon
precludes migration into the Americas by peoples of Asiatic origin. The
scientific issues relating to DNA, however, are numerous and complex."
4

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References:

William Lobdell and Larry B. Stammer, "Mormon Scientist, Church Clash
Over DNA Test; Anthropologist may be ousted for questioning teachings about
Native American ancestry," LA Times, 2002-DEC-8, at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/